Final Summit Wave in Motion
Evening of 21st May:
Our final summit wave is now underway. Leaving the South Col we have:
- Jesse W & Guide Tomi
- Blake Li & Guide Abiral
- Yinghong Hu & Guide Jangbu
- Pascale S & Guide Astani.
We can expect summits around sunrise on May 22nd local time.
Meanwhile, Darragh O is resting at the South Col after his successful Everest summit; he will set off in a few hours to climb Lhotse and tackle the Everest/Lhotse double. Exciting times for Darragh O!
Yesterday's summiteers did an incredible job and climbed in great style. They are resting at the South Col (Marc B, Riki J, Ruben S) and will drop to Camp 2 tomorrow, except for Aga, who descended back to Camp 2 after her summit with Migma. She will return to Everest Base Camp tomorrow.
A peek at our summit success from 13th May 24! Photo Credit: Josh McDowell
19 Summiteers on Top - 21st of May
Congratulations to the 19 climbers on our 21st May team on their successful summits of Mount Everest! Everyone who left on the summit bid was successful, making our 2nd wave a 100% success rate!
- Mr Marc Baumgartner (USA)
- Mr Ruben Salinas (USA)
- Mr Darragh Ó hAodha (Ireland)
- Ms Aga Olkowicz (Poland)
- Ms Riki Jones (USA)
- Mr Pasang Tendi Sherpa (Little Tendi) on his 17th Everest summit (& his second one for this week! He also summited on the 13th May) (Nepal)
- Mr Chhyan jyanu Bhote on his 17th Everest summit (Nepal)
- Mr Mingma Dorjee Sherpa on his 14th summit (Nepal)
- Mr Kalsang Dorjee Sherpa on his 14th summit (Nepal)
- Mr Lhakpa Rangdu Sherpa on his 13th Everest summit (Nepal)
- Mr Pemba Gylaltsen Sherpa (Pega) on his 8th Everest summit (Nepal)
- Mr Pasang Tendi on his 6th Everest summit (Nepal)
- Mr Narendra Shahi (Nepal) on his 5th Everest summit (Nepal)
- Mr Dawa Jangbu Sherpa (Nepal)
- Mr Tenzin Norbu Bhote (Nepal)
- Mr Pasang Bhote (Nepal)
- Mr Thenjung Bhote (Nepal)
- Mr Pimba Bhote (Nepal)
- Mr Changa Sherpa (Nepal)
Combined our Nepali Sherpa/Guide team must be the most experienced Everest team on the mountain with over 100 Everest summits between them.
Our next wave of summit climbers are also making great progress. They left camp 3 and made great time, rolling into the South Col, 10am local time on the 21st. They will rest there and head out on their summit bids tonight.
At Everest Base Camp we are wishing Ms Phunjo Lama good luck as she attempts to break the female speed record. She will leave approximately 4pm today, aiming to summit the morning of the 22nd May.
2nd Wave Summit Bids Underway
Evening 20th May Nepal Time.
Hello from the Himalayas. We are excited to announce that at 8pm local time Marc B with Guide Naren, Ruben S, Darragh O & Aga O set off from the South Col and are on their way to the summit of Mount Everest. They are aiming to summit at around sunrise on the 21st May. It’s a low wind evening, good weather, and while they will be navigating some traffic they are a small and nimble team extremely well supported by Sherpa and moving well.
We will announce summits once everyone is back to the South Col, please remember no news is good news!
Just below, sleeping on oxygen at Camp 3 are climbers Jesse W with Guide Tomi, Chen (Blake) with Guide Abiral, Yinghong H with Guide Jangbu & Pascale S with Guide Astani. They will head out of Camp 3 approximately 4am, climb to the South Col where they will get some rest. They will start their summit bids at approximately 7-8pm on the 21st May.
Being on a 1:1 Private expedition each of the climbers and guides are able to adjust their schedules and to best suit them as individual climbers.
We are excited for our climbers, stay tuned!
Climbers at Camp 3 - All Eyes on Everest
Evening 19th May Nepal Time:
The team are all snuggled in up at Camp 3, sleeping on oxygen. They did a great job climbing up the Lhotse Face today which was in good condition. The recent dusting of snow stuck and the steps are well kicked in by this point in the season. They will be getting up at 4am to climb up to South Col where they will rest for about 8 hours or so.
They will then get up and aim to depart nice and early from Camp 4 (approx. 7pm local time) to start their summit bids!
Look for CTSS summits on the morning of 21st May.
Everyone made good time and is feeling strong. Weather is on our side with very low winds throughout this summit window period.
Meanwhile our first Everest summit team made is all the way back to Kathmandu yesterday, enjoyed long warm showers and will be on their way home to you all very soon.
Climbers Heading to Camp 3
Morning of the 19th May Nepal Time
Good morning from Nepal! The team are already up and at it having at the base of the Lhotse Face having left Camp 2 nice and early. They have 4-5 hours of climbing ahead of them to reach Camp 3. From Camp 3 they will sleep and climb on oxygen. Their plan is to move to the South Col tomorrow.
The guides have been reporting that everyone is feeling good and moving strongly. They are well positioned for a summit on the 21st with the weather forecast holding strong right through until the 27th May!
We are really excited for the team, they’ve worked so hard for this moment and the days ahead. Wishing them the best of luck!
Photo CTSS Archive
Summit Climbers Arrive at Camp 1 & Camp 2
Evening 17th May:
Our teams are tucked in at Camp 1 & Camp 2, with some climbers pushing straight to Camp 2 to take a full rest day there. Tomorrow, our climbers who stayed at Camp 1 will move up to Camp 2 and join the rest.
The weather for our summit bid is looking really good. Expedition Leader Mike Hamill shared, “The weather forecast for May 21-26 is some of the best I’ve ever seen in all my years on Everest.”
Our team is aiming for a May 21st summit to allow any crowds on the 19th & 20th to dissipate. Everyone is in great shape and feeling strong.
Meanwhile, our successful summit team is already back in Namche, taking the time on the trek to integrate their experience and slowly return to civilization. They’ll be back in Kathmandu soon.
The road home for our 1st wave of summiteers! Photo: Josh McDowell
2nd Wave Readying for Everest
Update May 16th (evening)
Our summit teams are leaving Everest Base Camp tonight, one day later than anticipated due to the weather. We are hoping for a more stable air mass to arrive to help shepherd in their upcoming summit bids.
The team will wake in a few hours and set off through the Khumbu Icefall. A quick note: all of our guides and climbers will adjust their schedules from this point forward to suit their individual needs. Remember, no news is good news as communication is slow coming from the upper mountain.
Our team at Everest Base Camp shared a tentative plan for all our climbers:
- 17th May: Climb up to Camp 1
- 18th May: Climb up to Camp 2
- 19th May: Climb up to Camp 3
- 20th May: Climb to the South Col, rest and begin summit push into the evening
- 21st May: Summit and return to the South Col or drop to Camp 2
- 22nd May: Camp 2 or drop to Everest Base Camp
- 23rd May: Return to Everest Base Camp
Camp two at sunrise. Photo courtesy of Nani S.
Below we are sharing a video from Tendi Sherpa, one of our incredible guides on Everest this season. We are also including a few of his words, a truly special moment that he has shared with the world. Tendi, thanks for being an inspiration to us all!
"It’s always a special moment to stand on the top of the world. As you may know that we Sherpas and Nepali believe Mount Everest as a goddess Mother Earth specially known as Miyo Langsam. Each time we summit we pray the mountain deity and thank for her blessings, and we honor our country by flying our National flag! I dedicate this summit to my two beautiful daughters at home whom I miss so much and for my whole family." - Tendi Sherpa
Waiting for their Window
Hello from the Himalayas!
We are excited that our second wave of climbers, including all climbers on a 1:1 program, are getting ready to set off on their summit bids!
Tomorrow morning, the climbers, guides, and Sherpas will wake up, gear up, and set out for the journey of a lifetime! Before the sun rises, they will climb through the Khumbu Icefall. Some climbers plan to stay at Camp 1, and some will go directly to Camp 2. It's important to note that all climbers are keeping their schedules fluid to accommodate how they feel and the mountain's traffic (among other factors).
Up next: the Khumbu Icefall. Photo from CTSS Archives
Beyond Camp 2, climbers will move up to Camp 3, where they will sleep on oxygen. They will remain on oxygen above Camp 3 for the rest of their summit bid. The weather is looking stable and we are excited for this team who have been so prepared, patient, and fun to take their journey to the top of the world.
The upper mountain and in position for a summit bid. Photo from CTSS Archives
Meanwhile, our successful Western Guided team, who summited Mount Everest over the weekend, is saying farewell to Everest Base Camp today and starting their trek back down the Khumbu Valley. They expect to be back in Kathmandu around the 19th of May.
A final farewell for our Western Guided team! Photo courtesy of Jangbu
